WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:02.160 Good morning, Redemption Church Denver. 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:03.759 Thanks for joining us this morning. 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:06.719 Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:11.119 Happy Mother's Day, mom, and Happy Mother's Day, wife. 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.480 Those are personal notes they're watching. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:16.640 Yeah. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:26.559 I think after becoming a parent and seeing my wife become a mother, and then you reflect back and it's like, wait a minute, did everyone have to do this? 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:29.120 Is this where humans actually come from? 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:31.760 And then it's like, I can't believe there's so many of us. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:40.159 If this is actually what it takes to bring a human into the world, there should be like six, maybe seven of us. 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:43.200 Um, but it there's many, many more than that. 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:45.200 Um, and that's that's because of mothers. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:48.240 There's only one way uh humans come into the world, and that's mothers. 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:59.200 And it and it's uh it's uh an incredible thing, so honorable and beautiful and uh powerful and um uh so yeah, happy Mother's Day to our mothers out there. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:00:59.679 We love you. 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:01.439 Well thank we're thankful for you. 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:05.840 Um I'll go ahead and read through our scripture for today. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.200 This is Romans eight, verses thirty-one to thirty-nine. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.319 What then shall we say to these things? 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:16.239 If God is for us, who can be against us? 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:25.519 He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:29.280 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:33.120 It is God who justifies, who is to condemn? 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:43.200 Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:54.079 Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, as it is written, for your sake we are being killed all day long. 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:56.719 We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:57.359 No. 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:06.079 In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:23.520 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:27.199 Holy Father, we praise you for that word. 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:36.479 After reading something so glorious and amazing, I feel like I should just step away and read it again, and we'll just keep reading it all together until we finally think it's true. 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:49.759 Lord, I pray that the depth of your love towards us, the security that we experience amidst it, might settle into our hearts this morning as we examine this climactic passage of Romans chapter 8. 00:02:50.879 --> 00:03:07.439 Lord, would you draw us together as a church community that, although separate in space, are together in time because of the live stream, we pray that in this togetherness we would remember each other, lift each other up in prayer, consider one another in love. 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:22.159 And Father, for those who are joining us, uh maybe their first time seeing us or in any way as a church, I pray that this morning would be an encouragement to their hearts and that you, through your word, would speak directly to them. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:30.800 Father, we praise you for our mothers and the care that you've shown to us through them. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:35.919 Uh, we thank you for the sacrifice that they demonstrate to us in their lives. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:38.879 Lord, it is such a picture of your love. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:40.240 We praise you for that. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:42.080 Lift us up in Jesus' name. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:42.960 Amen. 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:45.280 Thanks again for joining us this morning. 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:46.639 My name is James Rathman. 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:48.960 I'm the pastor here at Redemption Church Denver. 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:57.599 Immediately following the service today, in the link in the YouTube description, or you'll see in the YouTube description that there's a link, and that's to a Zoom call. 00:03:57.759 --> 00:03:59.759 Um, you can't get away from those. 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:00.800 That's just life now. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:06.080 So we're having a Zoom call right after the service today, and that's just something we've been doing after each service. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:07.840 That's a church-wide prayer. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:14.800 So if you need prayer for something or would like to join together in prayer with uh the rest of our church body, it's a great time to do that. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.920 It's usually about 20 minutes of prayer for one another. 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:24.560 Um yeah, so that the link is in the YouTube bio as well as in our app. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:33.120 Now we are continuing through our series, and in fact, this is the last sermon in our series, Romans for New Times. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:41.279 Uh, we had kind of this break that we filled with this series as I began Romans 8 on Easter Sunday. 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:50.000 And as we approached it, we said I was kind of approaching it from this angle of our church and the world just needs such encouragement right now. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:55.759 We need to develop a framework for how do we think about suffering in the Christian life. 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:03.680 Now, in our culture, we're kind of given two views of how we're supposed to relate to suffering. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:10.399 One is the religious perspective, which almost always views suffering as a type of punishment. 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:18.720 And the other is sort of an irreligious or a secular type of perspective, which views suffering in terms of attachment. 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:24.240 And in both instances, we're taught that suffering in life can be avoided. 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:33.600 In the religious instance, it's suffering is avoided so long as you finally get your act together and you stop being disobedient, then you're able to avoid God's punishment. 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:48.959 And in the irreligious perspective, it's once you finally get your mental strategy right, and once you finally are able to develop the right mental framework, then you'll no longer experience suffering because you'll learn to not be so attached to the events of the world. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:06:02.160 Now, the Bible takes a very different approach to suffering than either our culture's religious or traditional perspective or our culture's irreligious, secular, more modernist perspective. 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:10.959 Instead, the Bible says that suffering is not something that can be avoided by the right strategy, but is instead inevitable. 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.240 You will experience suffering. 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:23.040 The righteous experience suffering, the unrighteous experience suffering, the religious, the irreligious suffering is absolutely certain. 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:36.399 So instead of teaching us ways to avoid or detach from suffering, scripture instead encourages us through our suffering. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:52.879 And we've seen that the encouragement that's given in Christ through the Holy Spirit, which is accounted so incredibly in this chapter of the book of Romans, Romans chapter 8, where we're really taught this is what life in the Spirit looks like amidst suffering. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:07:00.959 That the Spirit applies these promises from God in the gospel to our hearts that encourage us through suffering. 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:06.160 So we don't avoid it, we don't detach from it, instead, we're encouraged all the way through it. 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:08.240 Because that's what we really need amidst suffering. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:10.639 Not detachment, but encouragement. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:24.319 But as we've moved through this, I hope you can see that the encouragement that we're seeing in this chapter of Romans, like to put it in the encouragement container, it's just too small of a thing. 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:37.920 You know, the Pyrex top is breaking and it's all spilling out as we start to explain it and explore it more because we have by far transcended the category of mere encouragement. 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:42.560 I've been using throughout this series the analogy of a marathon runner. 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:46.959 Because when you're running a marathon, I think this is what it looks like. 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:55.600 You uh are experiencing a lot of pain uh in the midst of the marathon, and each step is contributing more pain. 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:59.439 And to can to keep you going, you need the encouragement of the finish line. 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:07.680 Uh and how each step, although contributing to your pain, also connects to the progress towards that finish line. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:10.879 And so you need to be encouraged on your way through it. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:21.519 But what we see in Romans 8 is so much grander, it's so much bigger than just standing on the sideline shouting, you can do it. 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:24.240 Remember, each step gets you closer to the finish line. 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:26.800 Now, this transcends that completely. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:34.960 If you go back to our first sermon in this chapter on Easter Sunday, we heard that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:41.919 So that in Christ, all those condemning thoughts that you experience, those are false in Christ. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:48.960 Instead, God looks upon you perfectly justified because of what Jesus did. 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:52.480 Now that that's that's encouraging, of course. 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:56.720 It's beyond encouraging, but it's more than just encouraging. 00:08:57.039 --> 00:09:02.000 Next, we saw that in Christ we are adopted into God's family. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:05.679 Now, how do you think God looks at you? 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.000 When you conjure that image, are you thinking, yeah, he's disappointed in me again? 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:18.080 He's he's experienced whenever he glances down towards me or his gaze turns my way, I want to hide and say, Hey, can I get a little more time to get my act together? 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:18.480 No. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:23.519 He instead he looks at you as a loving father looks at their child. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:27.759 You know, this is my son with whom I am well pleased. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:36.639 We hear those words echoed to us in our hearts because God adopted us into his family. 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:48.799 Next, we saw that the suffering of this present time is not even worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:10:00.639 When we keep in mind what we're heading towards, you know, when you're running a marathon and it's really hard, imagine getting to the end of that marathon and they're like, congratulations, you won the Boston marathon. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:02.480 We're giving you Boston. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:04.720 Now Boston's yours. 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:08.399 You know, it's just a way bigger victory than you could possibly imagine. 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:09.679 It's like, wow, just a marathon. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:12.639 I thought it would take more to get Boston. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:19.840 But it uh that it seems so completely incomparable to the amount of suffering that you endured. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:30.159 And that's the type, uh that's the way we're taught to think and consider our present suffering, which is horrible and so tremendous for so many of us. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:39.039 Uh, there's so much injustice and pain in the world and death that's directly experienced by those of us in our own church. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:49.039 And we're supposed to look at that and say, when we experience the glory that's coming, we'll look back on this suffering and say, it was like it was nothing. 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:55.679 It's just not even worth comparing to how glorious it is to be in God's presence. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:12.320 We saw that even now, although that glorious hope is off in the future, that uh that's not the only tool of encouragement that we're given to continue in the race now, but that the Holy Spirit presently helps us in our weakness. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:16.080 We're so weak we don't even know what to pray for like we should. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:28.639 And yet God intercedes for us by his spirit so that he takes our weak prayers and he prays exactly what he would have prayed if he were in our position. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:38.879 So that even in the depth of our weakness, where we can't even ask our way out of our situations, God helps us presently. 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:50.240 We are completely secure knowing that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:12:03.919 So that even the most mysterious and confusing present sufferings that we experience in this life, we know by God's promises they are connected to a future glory. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:11.519 They are not wasted or meaningless or useless, but instead they are connected to a transcendent hope. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:25.759 And although we can't explain exactly how that connection takes place, how this causes the next thing, which causes the next thing, which results in this glorious future hope, by faith we receive that in God's wisdom they are connected. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:37.200 Now, as you can see, as I hope, as you remember back through this chapter that we've walked through, this is not just encouragement. 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:41.200 We've bursted out of the encouragement category. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:47.519 Instead, we've recast the entire drama of creation. 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.639 And we've refound our place in it, in Christ. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:58.639 Because what we've heard is not just great job, keep going, keep going. 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:01.200 We've heard you're perfectly justified. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:03.120 We've heard there's no condemnation. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:07.279 You're adopted as a son, you're secure in him, you're helped presently. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.240 There's a glorious future that can never be taken from you. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:21.519 This is a re-understanding of our entire way of engaging with the world and understanding the suffering in it. 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:28.240 I'm suffering, I'm experiencing loss, I've lost my job or my family member or whatever it may be. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:30.879 Surely God has cast me off. 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:34.399 But there's no condemnation. 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:36.559 This must be punishment. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.120 No, there isn't any punishment. 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:42.879 This must that I'll make explicit what I'm doing. 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:44.559 Consider the religious perspective. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:45.600 I'm being cast off. 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:47.679 This must be God's punishment. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:52.240 But then you remember, no, there's no condemnation in Christ Jesus. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:56.240 Where you think, I'm experiencing the suffering, I must be too attached. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:00.240 I need to pause my hope and get realistic. 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:04.000 But we know that God causes all things to work together for good. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:09.200 I'm not going to detach, I'm going to continue hoping amidst the suffering. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:21.759 It is such a transformation that we see in this encouragement that more than being encouraged, in order to understand it, it's more like having your perspective changed on the whole world. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:26.960 The language that the Bible uses to describe that is it's like being born again. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:30.080 That's what this encouragement is. 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:38.159 And so one of my favorite Bible study questions is: how would my life be different if I believed this? 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:56.399 Just a helpful way to break through and see these promises of God in Scripture and consider, okay, now if I actually believed this and kind of stepped back and just considered myself from a third-party perspective, how would my life be different if I really internalized these truths? 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:00.799 And that's right where Paul goes next. 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:07.519 Romans 8, 31, the first part of that verse, he poses this question. 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:13.039 After all these glorious truths, he says, What then shall we say to these things? 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:22.559 How does a human heart respond to such incredible, unthinkably glorious, such good news? 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:25.279 Type of news that sounds too good to be true. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:28.559 It's so good that we would think, no way, there's got to be a catch somewhere. 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:30.639 It's hidden somewhere, that's not the way the world works. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:37.039 And yet, the more we keep prying, the deeper we keep going to examine these truths, we see it's better than I thought it was. 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:38.799 It's better than I thought it was. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:40.879 The gospel is better. 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:44.320 I I'm I'm so certain of this. 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:51.919 If there's anything that I know that I feel called to in ministry, and I I don't really even know how to use those words. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:16:03.039 But if there's anything I know that I'm called to in ministry, it's to help convince you that the gospel is far better than you're even thinking it is. 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:22.720 Today we see Paul wrestling through this question, not even wrestling, bursting out, exploding at this climactic moment in Romans 8, bursting out through this question, what then shall we say to these things? 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:28.399 He responds to that question with five more questions. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:55.840 And so today we're going to walk through these five more questions, and we're going to see how completely our security is fixed in Christ, even amidst our greatest possible sufferings, that in Christ we are perfectly and completely secure. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:01.440 Let's go ahead, we'll move through these five questions. 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:11.759 First, if God is for us, Romans eight thirty-one, what then shall we say to these things? 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:17.119 If God is for us, who can be against us? 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:31.039 If God is for us, who can be against us? 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:40.400 Now just this this is just gonna we're just gonna have to move slow. 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:57.440 If you God is the creator of everyone and everything. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:03.039 He upholds all of existence by the word of his power. 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:09.759 Everything that has life in it has life in it because of God. 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:16.319 All things work according to his good purposes. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.519 I didn't get too deep into the Marvel cinematic universe. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:42.000 I had a kid right in the middle of it, and so I just stopped seeing movies. 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:48.240 But I know that there's this one line where one of them says, say, Corey, you're here, you can help me if I get lost in this. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:52.319 They're like, we brought something, and then they're like, yeah, but we brought a Hulk. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:53.359 That happens, right? 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:55.039 Yeah, that happens. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:57.200 We brought a Hulk, you know, the Hulk. 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:01.920 And it that's a very good thing to have when there's a lot of people that are against you. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:05.839 If you can bring an an an incredible one, is even better. 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:09.599 If you can get your hands on it and make them angry. 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:24.400 But imagine the other side lining up against you and saying, we have a Hulk, and you saying, We God is for us. 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:30.640 These promises are unthinkably huge. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:35.440 This was so established in someone like David's heart. 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:46.000 Um David has this moment where he is on the run from uh Saul, uh the king that he is loyal to, but who is also attacking him. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:49.839 And he flees to his arch enemies, the Philistines. 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:54.400 And he actually goes to Goliath, the giant whom he killed earlier. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:20:00.799 Uh he goes to his hometown, Gath, and he gets captured and taken in by the Philistines at Gath. 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:05.039 And they're like, great, that warrior uh we have here. 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.920 Uh we have this warrior here. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:16.640 And so David is he's on the run from the king he's supposed to be loyal to, and he's uh captured by his mortal enemies, the Philistines. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:21.119 You know, uh sticky situation. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:25.839 About as trapped as you could possibly be. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.119 And he says this in Psalm 56, 2 through 4. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:34.640 My enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:38.000 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:43.839 In God whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:46.160 What can flesh do to me? 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:50.319 He stands there, he's a captured prisoner. 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:58.559 He knows that he has no hope of rescue from his own people, and he's hated by the people that he's actually captured by. 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:09.680 If you if ever there was a definition of in too deep, of in a situation where he just can't imagine his way out of it. 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:12.000 Have you ever experienced something like that? 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:19.759 Perhaps relationally or in the midst of an argument with your spouse where you're like, we're we're just never going to really know each other. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:24.799 This part of me in my heart, uh, it's never going to really be known by someone. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:28.079 I'm never gonna really understand what my spouse is saying. 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:44.880 Or if you if you feel like uh trapped in a place uh in like a particular job, and you realize, but I've got to keep paying the rent, and that and there's no place to go from here, you might say, I just can't even imagine a way out of this. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.400 I'm just in too deep. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.960 And what does David pray in the midst of this? 00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:50.880 What can flesh do to me? 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:53.039 What can flesh do to you? 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:56.880 You're captured, it can kill you at any moment with a sword. 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.759 Later on in that verse. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:06.000 Same Psalm in 56, verse 9, he says, This I know that God is for me. 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:16.079 Because he knew that God is for me, that God is for him, there's no such thing as in too deep. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:23.279 There's just no such place that God can't get to and perform his rescue. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:33.440 There's no such sinner who is too far gone for God to enact his his gracious scheme of rescue towards. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:40.000 If you're in too deep, if God is for you, who can be against you? 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:46.240 Romans 832. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:59.200 He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.359 Do you hear the shape of that argument? 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:08.079 It's an argument from the greater to the lesser. 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:28.720 If God didn't spare his own son, but instead gave him up for us all, if he already did that thing, the hardest thing you can possibly imagine, then how will he not also graciously freely give us all things? 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:33.200 The greatest thing. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:41.680 It's like somebody giving you a car and then them like forgetting to hand you the keys, and you'd be like, no, I'm too nervous to ask for the keys. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.680 That'd be too much to ask for, that'd be over the top. 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:45.599 Like, no, they already gave you the car. 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:46.960 Just go ask for the keys. 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:47.599 It's no big deal. 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:51.680 If he already gave you the car, then it's not going to be a big deal giving you the keys. 00:23:51.920 --> 00:24:02.799 If you already gave his own son, then consider the depth of his love towards you. 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:12.240 How will he not also with him freely, the NASB says, freely give us all things? 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:15.839 There's nothing good that he would be withholding then. 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:25.839 We see that in God being for us, that was described in the previous verse, that means this verse clarifies, it's like, look, he's not just for you. 00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:29.440 That doesn't mean he just has the friendly disposition towards you. 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:33.279 It's not, it's not like, yeah, oh, God, you'll meet him. 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:34.400 He's a super nice guy. 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:35.599 Oh, he likes everybody. 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:36.480 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:37.200 Don't worry, don't worry. 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:37.920 He'll like you too. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:38.559 He'll like you too. 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:40.559 He's got a friendly disposition towards everybody. 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:42.240 No, this is not like that. 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:46.559 This is not so uh, I don't know, ethereal as that. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:51.839 It's it's how do we know he didn't spare his son? 00:24:55.119 --> 00:25:09.039 You know, when Jesus, who's a part of the Trinity, he's God himself, he goes willingly, nobody takes his life from him, he weighs it down, he lays it down willingly, and he is co-eternal with the Father. 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:22.880 And Jesus is in the garden and he's praying, God, if there's any other way that they might be saved, rather than me going to the cross, then God, let's do it. 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:26.240 Let's do that other way, let's do it now. 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:29.279 And what does he hear in return? 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:31.359 Hears nothing. 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:33.599 He knows his marching orders. 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:36.160 His marching orders are to the cross. 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:39.200 He didn't spare his son. 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:43.519 He already did the hardest thing. 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:53.680 You know, the first instance of the word love in scripture, the first time it's used, is in Genesis 22. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.519 Now, that's a long way in. 00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:01.519 There are a few things that we can say that we can predicate God with. 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:02.880 You know, love is one of them. 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:04.480 God is love. 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:09.440 But we're we're we're 21 chapters in before the word makes an appearance. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:23.920 And on uh in Genesis 22, what happens is Abraham is told by God to take his son Isaac and to offer him as a burnt offering to God up on a mountain, Mount Moriah. 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:36.640 And the way that he's commanded, God says, Abraham, take your son, your only son, whom you love. 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:47.519 That's the first time love is used in Scripture. 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:57.119 Now Abraham takes Isaac up the mountain in confidence that God will not really require the sacrifice, because Isaac is the child of promise. 00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:01.519 And God intervenes, and Isaac isn't sacrificed. 00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:11.759 But you know, Jesus, he really was sacrificed. 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:22.799 Abraham's faithfulness was considered his righteousness by showing that he would even listen to God to sacrifice the child of promise. 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:30.480 Jesus goes to the cross. 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:33.440 He's not spared by the Father. 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:40.400 And it is considered our righteousness. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:55.279 How much more could we consider his faithfulness towards us, his love towards us? 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.799 He's already done the hardest thing. 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:01.359 So that means we're missing out on nothing. 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:05.359 Romans 8, 33, it continues. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:07.119 This march continues. 00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:10.720 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:12.799 It is God who justifies. 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:26.640 Okay, now this uh he's taking on the language of like a courtroom drama now, uh, and he sees God's elect there, who've been atoned for by Christ, and he's saying, who can even bring a charge against God's elect? 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:30.480 Who can even bring a charge against anyone who's in Christ? 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:34.640 And why is it that nobody could bring a charge? 00:28:34.720 --> 00:28:37.680 It's because it's God who justifies. 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:44.000 God is the one who did the work to declare this person righteous. 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:45.519 It's nothing that they did. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:59.680 And you can imagine in this sort of courtroom drama unfolding, like we see at the beginning of the book of Job, when uh Satan and uh others from the court of heaven who had followed Satan come to God, and uh God's like, What have you been doing? 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:06.000 And they're like, We've been going back and forth in the world to see what's going on in it, which is a very strange thing. 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:12.640 And then uh Satan's like, Who can I, who can I attack? 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:14.799 And God says, Have you considered Job? 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:22.640 Well, you can consider in that same sort of moment of dialogue that Satan would come up to God and say, Her? 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:30.000 You're justifying her, you're considering her righteous. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:34.400 Don't you see the greed that's taken over her heart? 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:40.400 Don't you see the gossip with which she slanders everyone around her? 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:43.519 And she's righteous. 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:45.200 This holy God. 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:52.799 Are you just going to ignore the pain that she's causing by her neglect of these people that you've made her responsible for? 00:29:54.400 --> 00:29:56.160 And then what would God say? 00:29:58.160 --> 00:29:59.839 Sure, Satan. 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:05.519 If she justified herself, then yes, you'd be right. 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.799 Her fate would be about as good as yours. 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:13.279 But I'm the one who justifies. 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:18.240 God is the one who justifies. 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:22.559 Who are you to bring a charge? 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:25.599 God justifies. 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:33.279 And it rolls right into, it's perfectly connected with this next next clause, which says in Romans 8.34, who is to condemn? 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:35.519 Our fourth question, who is to condemn? 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:43.839 Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:48.160 If you continue on in this courtroom drama, it's like, who is there to condemn? 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:55.200 If God is the one who brings the condemnation, and God is the one who justifies, then who is left over to condemn? 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:58.720 God does the justifying work. 00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:01.920 He makes us clean in his sight. 00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:03.359 Don't you see? 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:11.599 The same God who requires you to be clean in his sight makes you clean in his sight. 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:17.039 What he asked of you, he freely gave to you in Christ. 00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:18.960 So who is there to condemn? 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:20.400 And it gets even better than that. 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:21.519 Who is to condemn? 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:24.000 Because Christ Jesus is the one who died. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:33.440 You know what you deserve for your sin before the holy God because of the harm that you cause in your life, your sin, what you deserve before him is death. 00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:35.839 But who is to condemn? 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:38.960 Because Christ Jesus, he already died. 00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:41.599 We all saw double jeopardy. 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:43.680 That's why we stay off sailboats. 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:49.759 Who is to condemn? 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:51.920 Christ Jesus died. 00:31:52.240 --> 00:32:02.000 So you go to God, you go before God on this judgment day honesty, and say, what it and you just expect, you're like, look, I know that my sin brings forth death. 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:03.519 And then do you know what happens? 00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:05.039 Keep reading through the verse. 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:11.119 Christ Jesus, he died, but then he was raised and he's seated at the right hand of God and he's interceding for you. 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:15.279 You say, God, what could possibly make me just in your presence? 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:18.160 Then Jesus puts his hand and he says, You don't talk anymore. 00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:20.000 I'm the one who talks to him now. 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:22.720 And Jesus says, Look, he's clean. 00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:24.640 I know he deserves death. 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:26.799 I died for him. 00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:28.000 I did it. 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:29.200 I took the death. 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:32.240 And then do you know what he shows to God the Father eternally? 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:34.079 What his intercession means? 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:45.599 He shows his wounds, his poured out blood that makes us clean, that shows that for eternity, look, God, this still works. 00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:48.160 This still covers them. 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:50.400 I've done it. 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:53.279 He pleads his work on the cross. 00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:55.119 That is our intercessor. 00:32:55.279 --> 00:33:04.480 There's this great line in a John Mark Macmillan song where it's talking about Jesus, and he says, He's not the judge, he's not the jury, he's the evidence. 00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:10.319 What is Christ to us in our courtroom drama? 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:15.279 He's the evidence of our righteousness. 00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:19.119 Jesus pleads his own blood. 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:21.599 I've done the work for them. 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:24.880 So who is there to condemn? 00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:27.440 Come forward. 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:29.680 Who could condemn? 00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:32.160 If you picture your own life. 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:43.359 Who's gonna show up to condemn? 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:58.400 For many of you, it's not that hard to just consider the people who've got legitimate wrongs that they can count against you. 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:04.319 For others, I I know this. 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:07.200 For others, you're thinking, I just need me. 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:14.000 If I just had me there, I'd I'd definitely be able to successfully condemn myself. 00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:21.760 And Jesus would stand up and say, who cares what you think? 00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:23.760 Look. 00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:29.039 Remember the blood? 00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:33.199 Rem in the garden? 00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:36.320 Remember how it wasn't answered and we went through with it? 00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:38.320 Remember how I died? 00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:39.679 Remember how I was raised? 00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:42.800 Remember how now I'm seated on the throne of God? 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:48.320 The one who died for you sits on the throne of God. 00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:57.039 And we say things like, I know that God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself. 00:34:57.199 --> 00:35:02.239 What's it just remind me, what was the name of your throne again that you sit on? 00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:11.920 We sing a great hymn. 00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:17.360 Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea. 00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:24.320 A great high priest whose name is love, whoever lives and pleads for me. 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:27.280 Right now. 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:31.840 Look, it's just in the text. 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:40.719 Right now, Jesus is interceding on your behalf to the Father. 00:35:43.840 --> 00:35:45.199 You're covered. 00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:51.360 Romans 8 35. 00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:54.000 Our final question. 00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:56.719 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 00:35:57.039 --> 00:36:04.800 Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:06.719 See, here's what Paul is doing. 00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:10.639 He's getting inside of our heads, and he's saying, Okay, now I know what you're thinking. 00:36:10.800 --> 00:36:15.360 You're still thinking, yeah, but I know I can like God save me and he accomplished this rescue. 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:17.440 And Jesus pleads his blood on my behalf. 00:36:17.519 --> 00:36:21.440 And in this, the courtroom drama of heaven, I'm clean because of what Christ did. 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:31.679 And when I'm in Christ, and I know that I'm perfectly safe, but I just know that I've got evidence all over my life that I have weasel my way out of his love. 00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:34.559 Because you don't know how catastrophically sinful I can be. 00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:44.960 And you don't know the type of terrible experiences that I've been through that have hardened my heart in such an awful way, the wounds that I carry that manifest in this terrible evil in my life. 00:36:45.360 --> 00:36:48.480 I can find a way to weasel out of this love. 00:36:48.559 --> 00:37:01.039 And in fact, I can find the evidence in my life to show that I'm likely already out of it, that this loving father you describe, who didn't spare his own son so that I might be included, has almost certainly cast me off. 00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:03.199 And then Paul says, okay, great. 00:37:03.360 --> 00:37:05.119 Let's count the ways. 00:37:05.440 --> 00:37:09.599 Let's go through these things that you might say, look, here's the evidence. 00:37:09.760 --> 00:37:11.840 I know he's cast us off. 00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:15.599 Let's start with would tribulation do it? 00:37:16.079 --> 00:37:28.480 You know, imagine a world in which everything was just thrown up into the air and uh we faced an incredible disaster that uh uh uh caused so much pain and hurt and suffering all over the world. 00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:32.000 And we'd probably think something like, yeah, God's cast us off. 00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:35.199 Or distress. 00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:39.119 You know, God promised us peace, right? 00:37:39.599 --> 00:37:47.440 The peace of Christ uh will guard our hearts, or the peace of God will guard our hearts in Christ Jesus. 00:37:47.599 --> 00:37:51.679 You know, we can cast all our anxieties on him because he cares for us. 00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:54.559 We we do not fear, for I am with you. 00:37:54.719 --> 00:37:57.119 Don't anxiously look about you, for I am your God. 00:37:57.280 --> 00:38:01.519 Surely he'll help us, he'll uphold us with his righteous right hand. 00:38:01.760 --> 00:38:05.199